Meta to expand AI data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana
Meta is significantly expanding its AI data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, increasing its investment to over $50 billion and its compute capacity to five gigawatts. The project, already under construction, will be Meta's largest facility, consuming substantial amounts of energy and water. Entergy plans to build seven new natural-gas plants to power the facility.
Meta initially announced in December 2024 plans to build its largest data center to date in Richland Parish, Louisiana, with a projected investment of $10 billion for a four-million-square-foot AI facility. The technology company has now revealed plans to invest an additional "billions more," bringing the total investment to over $50 billion.
The expanded data center will boast five gigawatts of compute capacity, a significant increase from the originally announced two gigawatts. DPR Construction is overseeing the project, which began construction in December 2024 and is expected to be operational by 2030. The facility will span 3,650 acres, up from the initial 2,250 acres.
Meta has committed to covering the full costs of the energy, water, and infrastructure utilized by the data center to avoid burdening consumers. To power this massive operation, Entergy plans to construct seven new natural-gas electricity plants capable of generating 5,200 megawatts, with Meta investing $27 billion in these developments. The Richland Parish data center is projected to consume 23 million gallons of water daily, totaling 8.4 billion gallons annually.